


The Ugly Duckling

by j_crew_guy



Category: X-Men Movieverse
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-10-17
Updated: 2003-10-17
Packaged: 2017-10-21 00:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_crew_guy/pseuds/j_crew_guy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A re-telling of The Ugly Duckling with Nightcrawler and Toad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, there lived a family.They were a family of humans and lived happily, as humans were wont to do. But then the mother became pregnant once more. Her pregnancy was uneventful until she gave birth.

For she gave birth to a baby boy with blue skin, yellow eyes and a tail. The baby had only three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. They named him Kurt. Kurt's father was repulsed by his son and would have nothing to do with him. Kurt's mother loved her son very much, and was utterly charmed by the way he would hang from her finger with his little tail.

She was quite surprised when he sneezed one day and disappeared in a black cloud that smelled of brimstone. But then she heard his laugh coming from the next room and rushed in to find young Kurt quite happily playing. As he grew, Kurt learned to control his disappearing ability

Kurt learned to use his tail as though it were another limb, and became quite adept at hanging from things with it, and thought nothing of grabbing something with his tail when his hands were full.

Kurt did his best to ignore the cruel jibes of his father and siblings, but their taunts hurt him deeply.

One day, Kurt's mother became very ill. She called Kurt to her side and told him that perhaps it would be best if he went out into the world to seek his fortune.

"But mother," he said. "I am so ugly. No one would ever want me for any reason."

"Oh, my son," she sighed. "You are truly beautiful. Someday, other people will see that."

Kurt tearfully kissed his mother goodbye and then gathered his meager belongings. He left home that very evening. He didn't bother to say farewell to the rest of his family.

During his travels, Kurt met a group of travelers who also looked different. They invited Kurt to join them, and he agreed. But their happy meeting was broken up by a group of hunters who specialized in looking for people like Kurt and the travelers. Kurt fled in one direction while the travelers went in another.

Kurt continued on his way. He tried to stay hidden beneath the folds of his cloak, so that he would not scare people. But occaisionally it would slip and reveal his face, and people would be repulsed.

It so happened that Kurt hurt his ankle along his travels. He sat down beneath a tree to rest and fell asleep. He began to dream that he was in a warm home where a bald man lived with a girl who had red hair and a boy who had red eyes. He didn't want to wake up and ruin the dream, because it felt so wonderful.

Kurt eventually peeked one eye open and saw that his dream was actually a reality. He was *in* the home he had dreamed of.

The bald man invited Kurt to stay with them for as long as he liked. Kurt thanked the bald man, but said he would only stay until his ankle healed.

Kurt did like that neither the bald man or the two children were scared of him. But he did not feel that this was where his fortune was to be found. So, once his ankle had healed, he thanked the bald man and the children for their hospitality and moved on.

Kurt continued his travels through the countryside. He eventually met another traveller who was also careful to hide his appearance in the folds of a cloak.

"Ho, traveller," cried Kurt. "Would you care to share a bit of bread with me?"

The traveller nodded shyly. Kurt thought he saw a bit of green hidden within the folds of the traveller's cloak. But Kurt was polite and would not force the traveller to show himself if he did not want to.

The two of them broke bread and Kurt casually let his cloak fall back, revealing his blue skin and yellow eyes. He waited for a gasp from his dining companion, but none came.

There was a long silence, and then the other man pulled back his cloak as well. Kurt couldn't help gasping as he beheld the greenish tint of the other man's skin, and the slight yellow of his eyes.

"You, you're like me!"

The other man nodded and opened his mouth. His tongue darted out and flicked a leaf off of a nearby tree. He smiled at Kurt.

Kurt smiled in return.

The two of them broke bread in a companionable silence. After they finished eating, they looked at each other.

"My name is Kurt."

Toad nodded. "Most people call me Toad."

"Don't you have a name?"

"Not one I care to use."

Kurt nodded. He sighed and got to his feet. "I suppose I should be moving along."

 

Toad looked up at him. "Would you like to come with me to where I live?"

Kurt cocked his head. "Why would I want to do that?"

Toad stood up. "Because… where I live, we're accepted for who we are, not what we look like. Which isn't to say that you're not beautiful."

If it were possible, Kurt would have blushed at that. Instead, he grinned at Toad. "I would love to visit your home. And possibly stay." He gently goosed Toad with his tail.

Toad yelped a little and smiled.

The two of them returned to the road. They walked, arm in arm, headed for Toad's home. Neither of them hid their faces in their cloaks now. They had each other.

Kurt knew that while perhaps the world would always see him as a monster, he had found someone special who saw him for who he was, and how truly beautiful Kurt really was.

And so, Kurt and Toad lived happily ever after.

The End.


End file.
